Someone Like Me
by DirectHit
Summary: As it turns out, there are more survivors, and the group decides to trust them. What shall ensue? Will Takashi and Rei ever find their parents? And what of Shizuka's "friend", Rika? Based off of the anime, first season. SaekoxOC and other pairings. Read to find out who will get who!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, you guys were a bit too late in trying to stop me. So, here's my HOTD. Don't worry, it's the last one that I'll be starting any time soon, and I'll be working on finishing up Hollow Problems next. Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead. Otherwise, there would already be more!**

"Quick! Get out of the Humvee!" Kohta yells, pushing Alice out of the top.

"Kohta, hurry up! Get everyone out and start running! Saeko and I will hold them off, but we won't last long!" Takashi yells as well. "They" keep on coming, and there's no end to them in sight. They're really fucked this time.

"Takashi, what about you two!? We can't just leave you!" Rei screams as she climbs out of the Humvee.

They've run completely out of gas, after just a month of being out on their own once more. They had been on their way to the school that Takashi's mom worked at when the Humvee had stopped in the downtown district of town. It took Shizuka about ten minutes to figure out that they were out of gas, and by then the dead had gathered around them and were tipping the Humvee on its side.

"Don't worry! We're right behind you!" Saeko assures her, drawing her katana.

"Uhh, guys… We've got a problem!" Kohta calls out.

"What the hell do you mea- oh god… OH MY GOD!" Saya starts screaming as she sees what their problem is. As the others turn to see, they all have various reactions of shock and dismay, as there is no way out. The dead have them surrounded.

"So, this is how it ends, huh?" Takashi says, more to himself than the others.

"Yeah. Let's make the best of it," Saeko adds, attacking the closing horde.

For a total of 20 minutes, Saeko, Takashi, Rei and Kohta manage to fight off the oncoming zombies while Alice, Shizuka and Saya huddle in the center of the street. However, it doesn't take long for the ammo to run out, and not even two angry teenagers with a sword and a club have what it takes to fight off the undead.

"Well, I guess this is it. No rescue waiting for us this time," Rei says, resigned to her fate.

"Listen, Alice, I'm sorry. Now it's time to go. Goodbye," Kohta says in a shaky voice, embracing the little girl that he has come to love like a sister.

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Saeko says, snapping all of the other members of their party's attention.

Off in the distance, they hear the rumbling of a rather large engine and the sound of cars and bodies alike being crushed. However, it doesn't sound like tires running over the countless dead, but more like…

"Tank treads?" Kohta mutters to himself in confusion.

"Wait, are you saying that there is a tank nearby?" Saya asks in disbelief.

However, before an answer can be issued, there is the sound of something being launched, and an explosion at the base of a nearby skyscraper. The explosion catches all of the zombies' attention and they are redirected towards the collapsing building. When it eventually does collapse, it takes out a large portion of the zombies and cuts most of them off from the group, leaving only a few on the danger side. However, they are gunned down quickly by a man coming out of the hatch of, sure enough, a huge modern battle tank.

"Get in! It won't take long for more of them to start creeping out of the woodworks!" the man yells, his deep voice loud enough to be heard clearly even across an easy 500 feet.

Without much thought or hesitation, the group dashes to the tank. However, Takashi stops short when they reach it, motioning for the others to do the same.

"Who are you, and why should we trust you?" he asks the man.

The man rolls his brown eyes in exasperation but answers him all the same. "My name is Seth Makarov, and the way I see it, you don't have much of a choice." His voice is not commanding, but it does have a certain level of authoritativeness.

"Oh yeah? We could just shoot you and take your tank!" Saya yells.

"Really? So you know how to pilot an M1A2 Abrams?" Seth inquires in mock wonder. Saya looks to Kohta, who shies away in shame.

"S-sorry, I never learned that," he says quietly.

"Exactly. Only certain people are taught to drive it as well as I can, and Google isn't exactly an option right now. So, I repeat: you don't really have a choice but to trust me," Seth says, reaching his hand down to Saeko, who takes it willingly.

"Saeko, what are you doing? We still can't trust him!" Rei says. However, she is ignored, and Saeko crawls down the hatch of the tank. Seth, however, grips his blonde hair in frustration.

"Listen to me! If you don't trust me, then you'd rather try your luck with them!" he yells, pointing towards the already regrouped horde.

Takashi looks at the steadily growing number of the undead and gulps. "Alright, everybody on the tank!" he yells.

"Are you sure?" Rei asks, but after a look from Takashi, she takes Seth's awaiting hand and is easily lifted onto the massive vehicle. Next is Alice, then Saya, and Shizuka is the last one on before Seth stops the remaining two.

"How well can you ride?" he asks.

"On what?" Takashi answers with a question.

"I think he means on the tank," Kohta offers.

"Listen, there's not a whole lot of room in one of these. It's already cramped as it is in here. You two will need to stand out here and pick off any crowds that seem a bit too big to run down," Seth explains. "I'd do it myself, but I've got to drive."

"We should be fine. Just make sure you don't try anything on any of them," Takashi says, his voice and glare deadly serious.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now get on," Seth replies, pulling the leader and the crack-shot onto the roof of the MBT.

Seth crawls back down the ladder but keeps the hatch open. He starts the tank's forward motion once more and pays the crowd of zombies no mind as he plows over them, the occasional larger group being thinned by the other guys of the group.

…

After a couple of minutes of navigating through the crowds of the undead, the tank starts to slow down as the streets become clearer.

"What's going on down there? Why are we slowing down?" Takashi asks from topside.

"It'll cut down on fuel consumption. This baby's a real gas guzzler," Seth yells back up the hatch. He then turns to all of the girls in the tank with him. "So, what are all of your names?" he asks, turning his eyes back to the road.

"Why should we tell you that!?" Saya bursts indignantly.

"Saya, he's only trying to be friendly," Shizuka attempts to calm down the pink-haired girl.

"Shizuka, we still don't know if we can trust him!" Saya protests angrily. The group had grown out of the formalities that they had once used, such as "Ms. Marikawa". They had all realized that whatever authority anyone had once had over the other was gone, except for Takashi being their current leader.

"You two idiots realize that you just gave him your names, right?" Saeko says, slightly amused at the supposed "genius'" stupidity.

"What!? Shut up, Saeko!" Saya yells annoyingly.

"What do you think, Rei? Can we trust him?" Saeko asks, purposefully revealing the girl's name.

"My name's Alice!" Alice cheers happily, causing Saya to moan in defeat.

"The fatass is Kohta and the other guy is our leader, Takashi," she mumbles.

"Well, my name's Seth, Seth Makarov. Pleased to meet you all. Anybody up for hot water and decent food?"

"What?" Rei's head perks up, her attention piqued.

"Wait, we still don't know if we can-"

"Oh come on, he just saved us all. The least we can do is accept his generosity," Saeko cuts Saya off.

"We should ask Takashi first," Rei says.

"How's about this: we all find some place to stop so we can get out and formally introduce ourselves, then you all can figure out what you're going to do?" Seth suggests.

"Sure," Takashi says, grateful of the man's understanding despite still being wary of him. He hears Saya sigh in an annoyed way, obviously bothered that somebody is deciding her actions for her, let alone a stranger.

…

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Takashi asks. Seth had stopped the tank in the middle of a large park that didn't seem to have any of "them" nearby. He had stayed in the tank so as to let the group decide for themselves what they wanted to do.

"I vote we stay," Saeko says before anybody else can say anything.

"How can you say that!? We don't even know who he is!" Saya says indignantly.

"Well, he did just save our asses," Kohta puts in.

"And he offered us a place to sleep," Shizuka says.

"And food," Rei adds thoughtfully. "I'm starting to get hunger pains. It's been days since any of us has eaten."

"I like him!" Alice says, hoping her opinion will be relevant.

"Right. So, majority rules?" Takashi asks. The whole group, excluding Saya, says their own affirmative responses.

"How can you all trust him so easily!?" the pink-haired genius questions.

"Saya, we're just going to go and check it out. If we like it, we'll stay. If not, we'll leave," Takashi says in an attempt to calm her down.

Realizing that she was beaten, Saya conforms. "Whatever," she says with another annoyed sigh.

The group heads over to Seth, waiting in his tank, and Takashi calls for him.

"So, you make a decision yet?" the blonde inquires.

"Yeah. We'll take you up on your offer. But if you try anything, or if we don't like the look of things, we're leaving," Takashi says, his voice portraying his seriousness.

"Sounds fair enough. So, who's riding up top this time?" Seth asks, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

"Ooh, me! I wanna ride on top!" Alice raises her hand and jumps with excitement.

Kohta stands by her. "Alice and I will ride up top this time," he states, making his standing as the little girl's protector clear to Seth.

"Okay then, can you shoot?" Seth asks, nodding his head towards the heavy caliber rifle mounted onto the roof of the tank.

The gun master grins. "How accurate is it?"

"It doesn't have to be. It's an M61 Vulcan, custom fitted with a VERY powerful silencer for reconnaissance."

"They make silencers for vulcans?"

Seth grins. "I do," he replies. "And it works."

Kohta suppresses the urge to squeal in excitement. "How did you do it? How quiet is it?"

"It's quiet enough so that it's only audible on the street you're on. Now, can you shoot it?"

Kohta's smile gets wider. "My pleasure, sir!"

"Great. So, any of you willing to learn how to fire the big gun?" Seth asks, making Kohta freeze for a moment at the fact the he might miss out on a chance to make something explode with a live artillery round.

Rei steps forward. "I'll learn."

"Great. Takashi, think you can learn to load?"

The leader of the group nods his head. "Sure."

"Ok, let's roll out."

…

Three hours later, the tank stops. "We're here!" Seth calls out, letting Kohta and Alice know that they are coming out.

Once everyone files out, Seth turns to them and spreads his arms out wide. They are under ground, a door leading to what must be the rest of his living quarters. He moves to the entrance of the garage and presses a button, moving a very heavy looking garage door down to seal the room.

"Well, this is it. Let's head in and say hello to Da," the host says, motioning for the group to follow him. He heads through the door and calls out, "Da! I'm home! And we have company, so make sure you have clothes on, please!" When there is no response, Seth just sighs. "Whatever, I'll give you the tour, I guess."

Already, Saya's opinion of the group's decision was falling even further than it had before. Not only did these people live underground where they wouldn't be able to see their surroundings through I window or something, but there only seemed to be one way out, which could be easily guarded. Plus, the inhabitants were apparently naked most of the time!

"So, who's this 'Da'?" Takashi asks, slightly unhappy that he wasn't informed beforehand of another person being present.

"It's short for Dakota. Da is a good friend of mine. We've been through almost everything together, since it all began. We were both heading East, in an attempt to find survivors, and so we joined up. Been hopping around secure locations ever since," Seth tells them.

"So, you trust him?"

Seth smiles deviously, turned away so the group can't see. "With my life."

…

The tour almost over, Seth approaches one last door. "The bunks," he says. "I'll be right back, just stay here and wait for my say."

Seth heads into the room and closes the door, and the group can hear him yell at his friend. "Hey, Da, wake up! Get some damn clothes on, we've got guests!" there comes a mumbled reply, but nobody can hear it well enough to make out what it says.

After a moment, the door opens once again, and Seth is on the other side, ushering Takashi in and telling the others to stay put. "These are the bunks, and the red-head over there is Da."

Takashi's jaw drops as he takes in the sight of a beautiful woman stretching out the kinks in her back. Her short, flaming red hair falls just below her ears, the bangs around her face reaching down to her collarbone. Her… assets aren't quite as large as Shizuka's, but are about Rei's size. Her mouth is open wide in a yawn, and when she's done, she opens her eyes a little sleepily and looks the young man over once or twice before a smile cracks her lips.

"Oh, Seth, I always knew it! I mean, when you refused my offer, I was a little suspicious, but now that you've brought a cute boy home, there's no denying it!" she says in excitement.

"For the last time, Da, just because I'm not willing to 'repopulate the Earth with you' does NOT mean I'm gay!" Seth groans in frustration. "Besides, he's not the only one. There are five others, and most of them are GIRLS, thank you very much!"

"Oh, no need to get all defensive now," Da says, stretching a hand out to Takashi, who is still trying to wrap his mind around things. "Hey, name's Da. What's yours?"

"Ta… Ta…. Takashi…" Takashi trails off.

"Well, Tatatakashi, I think you might want to pick up your jaw from off the floor," she says with a smirk.

"Wha… But… I thought… you were a…"

"A what?"

"A… guy…"

"Ugh, did you do that AGAIN Seth?" Da asks in an annoyed fashion as she rolls her eyes.

"Do what again, Da?" Seth asks innocently.

"You led them to believe I was a guy again!"

"No, they just assumed you were. I just didn't correct them," Seth replies with his own devilish smirk.

"What's going on in here!?" Saya yells as she tumbles into the room. She looks at Da and if she's surprised, she doesn't show it. However, she doesn't look at Da's features as much as what she's wearing: a black tank top and matching black cargo pants, with black military combat boots to bring it all together. Once she is satisfied that nothing will be seen by Kohta that she doesn't want the otaku looking at, she lets the others into the room.

Even though Da's clothing is completely decent (a change in the group's usual attire), that still doesn't stop Kohta from drooling.

"Jeez, you stupid fat otaku! Roll your tongue back up!" Saya yells at him, hitting him upside the head.

"I'm sorry, Saya, it won't happen again," Kohta apologizes from the corner of the room.

"Well, you all are a lively bunch," Da says, grabbing their attention.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Rei," Rei says, bowing.

"I'm not bowing, sorry. How about a shake?" Da suggests, sticking her hand out. Rei looks at it for a bit before smiling and taking it.

"My, she seems just like Rika…" Shizuka says to herself, quietly missing her friend.

"Don't worry Shizuka, we'll find her," Takashi assures.

"Find who?" Seth asks.

"My friend Rika! I haven't seen her in so long…" Shizuka says before anyone else can interject.

"Wait, are you talking about Rika Minami?" Da asks in wonder.

"Y-yes, why? How do you know her? Have you seen her?" Shizuka asks, her growing excitement showing in her voice.

"No, but I know who that is. She's one of the best snipers in the world!" Da exclaims, her admiration obvious.

"Oh," Shizuka sighs, put out.

"Don't worry; If Da's heard of her, she's got to be good. She'll be fine. We'll help you find her, if you like," Seth assures.

"Would you do that?" Shizuka asks hopefully.

"Sure," Da says. "We know how it's like to lose a friend. We don't want that to happen to you."

"Thank you!" Shizuka exclaims, pulling Da in for a massive hug, filled with boobs and slight suffocation.

"Cant… breath…." Is all Shizuka hears from under her large breasts before she releases her hostess. As she starts frantically apologizing to the gasping Da, Seth turns to the others and notices that most of them have lots of blood on them.

"Why don't you all pick out some clothes and get washed? We found some clothes here when we got here, and there are all sizes, so just go ahead and pick out what you need," he says, pointing towards the large closet.

"Thanks, we'll do that," Takashi says.

…

An hour later, and the sun is setting. Dinner is being served to the small band of survivors; lasagna.

"This looks delicious!" Rei says excitedly, waiting for permission to eat.

"Thanks, go ahead and dig in," Seth responds.

"Wait, YOU made this?" Saya asks incredulously.

"You, he did, you got a problem with that?" Da says in a warning tone.

"No, she doesn't, she's just surprised is all," Kohta tries to explain.

"Surprised about what?" Da asks, her anger starting to rise.

"Da," Seth says. "It's alright. Men don't usually cook anything that isn't on a grill, and I don't mind."

"Whatever," Da says, shooting one last death glare over at Saya before returning to her food.

"So, where did you learn how to cook this well?" Rei asks, trying to lighten the mood.

"My mom. She taught me everything I know about anything to do in the kitchen," Seth explains, blushing slightly at the compliment.

"It is good," Saeko agrees.

"Yummy!" Alice exclaims.

"Thanks," Seth says, smiling sheepishly.

"So, what's after this?" Takashi asks.

"Well, we usually do one last perimeter check, make sure all the entrances are clear, fuel up the tank and call it a night. Sometimes, if we get done early, we play a game or something," Seth says.

"What kind of game?" Takashi inquires.

"Well, it depends on where we are. Unfortunately, there are no EMP proof game consoles, so we go outside and find something to do. Recently, we've been lucky enough to find a basketball, so all we've got to do is go out into the garage and hang a basket on the wall."

"Basketball, huh? Well, what do you guys think?" Takashi asks the group.

"Sure!" Rei says.

"Why not?" Saeko joins.

"I'm in!" Kohta agrees.

"Sorry, I'm not really cut out for running around," Shizuka declines.

"No way!" Saya yells.

"Umm, can I play?" Alice asks.

"Well, of course! It wouldn't be fair if we didn't let you play just because you're little!" Seth says.

"Really!?" Alice says excitedly.

"Yep, but first we've got chores to do. What do you say, wanna help wash dishes?"

"Yes!"

…

After chores were done, everybody files out into the garage. A bench is pulled up to the wall beside the area that is to be the basketball court. Seth pins the basket to the wall using a gas powered nail gun, and Kohta smiles in remembrance of his first weapon.

"Ok, stand in a line. Since Takashi is your leader, I suppose it's only fair that he be the a captain," Seth says, standing in front of everybody, signifying his being a captain as well. The others do as he says while Shizuka and Saya sit down on the bench.

"You're the guest," Seth says, motioning towards the line of people. Takashi points to Rei.

"Rei, I choose you," he says.

"Ok Ash Ketchum, Da, come on," Seth says. Da sniggers at the comment, and Saeko tries to cover a small chuckle as well.

"Oh, very funny," Takashi says sarcastically. "And I was going to choose you, too. Alice, come on," he says in mock hurt.

"Hmm, if he was gonna choose you over Alice, you must be good," Seth considers. "Alright, c'mon. Saeko, right?"

"Yes," she replies, walking over to stand at Seth's side.

"Aww, why am I always last?" Kohta whines.

"Hey, somebody's gotta be last. Don't worry, we'll win," Rei assures.

"Don't be so sure about that," Da says in a challenge.

"Alright, enough talk, more play," Takashi says.

The match starts, Takashi's team with the ball first. It's only a half court game, so the two captains check the ball. Takashi passes to Rei, who goes to shoot the ball. However, Da blocks and grabs the ball out of the air.

Da passes to Seth, who dribbles around Takashi and passes it back to Da, who dodges past Kohta and launches the ball into the makeshift basket.

Shizuka, who has decided to be score keeper and referee, calls out "Seth's team one, Takashi's team zero!"

"Ugh, you idiot, a regular shot is two points!" Saya scolds from beside the bumbling blonde.

"Oh, then, umm… Seth's team two, Takashi's team zero!" Shizuka corrects.

The ball is checked again, and Takashi calls Kohta's name as he passes to him this time. The gun otaku shoots from what has been predetermined to be the three point line and sinks the basket.

"Seth's team two, Takashi's team two!"

"Those are worth three points," Saya corrects, on the brink of giving up. "Shots behind the line are worth three points."

"Oh, thank you Saya, you're being most helpful," Shizuka says in appreciation.

"Of course I am," she sighs, annoyed once more.

Now the ball is in Seth's hands. He checks, then passes the ball to Da, who call's out Saeko's name and passes her the ball.

Saeko catches and immediately starts moving. She dodges Takashi and ducks past Rei. She jumps towards the basket and quickly puts the ball straight through, dunking it.

"Whoa," is all the Seth says in astonishment.

"Nice. I can tell you're a good fighter since you're so agile," Da compliments.

"Oh, you have no idea," Takashi says.

"Thank you for the compliments, but let's play," Saeko says, polite as always.

Takashi checks once again, but this time calls Alice to him.

"Ok, now just shoot from here, and we'll be in the lead again," Takashi says, smiling down at her.

"But, I can't make it from here," Alice says, unsure of herself.

"Don't worry, I have faith in you," Takashi assures the little girl.

"Yeah, go Alice!" Kohta encourages.

"C'mon, you can do it!" Rei cheers.

"Ok," Alice says. She musters all of her strength and lobs the ball with both of her arms towards the basket. It hits the wall above it and bounces onto the rim, teetering on it. Just as it's about to fall out, though, it suddenly tips over and back into the basket, scoring three more points. Everybody cheers, and Alice's face is in a huge smile, grinning as Kohta lifts her onto his shoulders and parades around the garage.

"I know what you did," Da says quietly to Seth, out of the other's earshot.

"Yeah, but she doesn't. She had it in her, she just needed a little nudge," Seth responds, tucking his slingshot back into his pocket.

"Oh well, let's go make those points back up," Da calls, gathering the other's attention. They play well into the night and share laughs and fun until Seth checks his watch and calls for lights out.

"Aww, but I'm not tired yet!" Alice whines.

"Yeah, but if you wait until you are, then it'll be even worse tomorrow," Da tells the girl. "You want to play again tomorrow, right?"

"Yes!" Alice responds excitedly, jumping through the door.

"So, what's the verdict?" Seth asks Takashi, away from the group.

"I think we'll stay a while. But on one condition," the leader responds.

"And what would that be?"

"Rei and I are still looking for our parents. We haven't seen them since the day 'they' came."

"Don't worry; we'll help you find them, along with Ms. Minami as well," Seth assures.

"Thanks," Takashi says with a smile.

…

"Psst, Saeko, are you awake?" Rei whispers to the purple-haired girl, peering down from the bunk above her.

"Am now," Saeko whispers back politely as possible.

"Sorry. So, what do you think about Seth and Da?" Rei asks.

"I think they're trustworthy. What do you think of them?"

"I don't know. Seth is kinda cute, but nowhere near as cute as Takashi," Rei giggles.

"What are you talking about?" Saeko asks.

"Hey, I'm just trying to keep your options open," Rei says innocently, shrugging her shoulders as best as she can while hanging upside down.

"Well, you can stop, since I've only my eyes set on Takashi," Saeko says confidently. "Goodnight, Rei."

"Whatever you say. Night." Rei still isn't totally convinced that she can't get Saeko to back off of Takashi by replacing him with Seth. She is determined to have Takashi all to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry this is so late. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead**

_*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*_

"Rise and shine! If you're going on the search party, better be ready in five minutes!"

The call rouses Saeko, Rei and Saya immediately. Shizuka sleeps through it and, seeing as her breasts are muffling Alice's ears, so does the little girl in her embrace. The two fighters get dressed quickly and Saya lies back down but remains awake. At this point, while she is starting to trust her new hosts, she decides that it's best to remain on guard.

Rei and Saeko leave the room and close the door quietly so as not to wake up the still sleeping girls. They walk up to the main living area and find Takashi, Seth and Da waiting for them.

"Da will stay here while Takashi, you two and I go out looking. We won't be using the tank this time as we don't have much fuel left. But don't worry, what we've got is better for this mission," Seth informs the girls.

"Just make sure you make it back, alright?" Da says seriously.

"Yeah yeah, don't be going soft on me now," Seth says as he opens the door for the rest to file out. "Oh, and see how good the big guy can shoot. If he's good enough we'll show him the armory."

"Yeah, whatever," Da replies.

"So, what are we riding in?" Takashi asks.

"Bikes. They're quieter and don't need any fuel. We'll be able to get through the streets easier, too," Seth responds.

"That's smart. So, where are we going first?" Rei inquires.

"I'll leave that for you to decide. When you're ready, come and get me, I'll be with the bikes behind the tank. I'll give you five minutes," Seth tells them. "I'd rather get out of here as quick as possible so that we can search longer."

"I'll come with you. My father was away on business when 'They' came, so it's between them," Saeko says, following Seth.

"Well, what do you think, Rei? I'd say your house is closer since we're on the opposite side of the park as my mom's school," Takashi says.

Rei seems to consider it for a minute. "Then I guess we'll head there, and if we have time, we should go to your house, too," Rei responds.

"Sounds good."

**-MEANWHILE-**

"So let me guess, you're good with a sword," Seth's question is actually more of a statement.

"Yes, I am decent," Saeko replies politely.

"How decent?" Seth asks.

"I was captain of the kendo club in my high school. My father was a well-known swordsman," Saeko replies.

"That's good to hear. You should always have someone in the group who can use a melee weapon. Unlike guns, blades and clubs don't need reloading," Seth says.

"Hey, we're ready to go," Takashi says, he and Rei nearing the others.

"Where to?" Seth inquires.

"First we are going to Rei's house, then mine, if we have time," the black haired teen explains.

"Great. Lead the way," the blonde one says, motioning towards the manual entrance.

…

The group rides silently down the street towards Rei's house, Takashi and Rei in front with Saeko and Seth in back. There have been few of "Them" around, and the ones they did find were simply ignored. Whenever a turn was made it was done from the opposite side of the street, the wide angles ensuring the safety of the group's movements and path. Eventually, Takashi and Rei signal for the others to slow down and stop before coming to a halt themselves in front of one of the many abandoned houses along the street.

"Rei and I will go inside. You two stay here," Takashi says, propping his bike up on the curb.

"Sure thing, boss," Seth replies, adding the slightest hint of an emphasis on the title. Saeko seems to be the only one to notice it as she suppresses a small giggle that goes undetected by Takashi and Rei, but not by Seth. After the other two have disappeared behind the door of the house Seth turns to Saeko.

"Well, I'm glad one of you has a sense of humor," he says, sitting back on the seat of his bike with his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry, it's rude of me to laugh," Saeko apologizes, blushing slightly at getting caught. _He's almost as sharp as my father _she thinks.

"Why are you apologizing? It's the goddamned apocalypse! It's a good thing to be able to laugh at a time like this!" Seth exclaims quietly.

"I agree; however, it is rude and disrespectful to laugh at another's expense," Saeko states, though a small smile creeps to her lips.

"See? I'm starting to get to you already, I can tell," Seth says, leaning forward and looking up from a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sure. But we need to remain on guard," Saeko replies politely, pointing out a larger group of the walking dead moving towards them, ending the quiet discussion.

**-MEANWHILE-**

"Mom? Dad? Are you here?" Rei calls quietly down the hallway, so as not to attract any _unwanted_ attention. She hears a slight shuffling noise around the right corner, and she feels the anticipation build up inside of her. A hand is placed on her back and she turns to smile at Takashi, showing her determination. She continues down the hallway and pokes her head out around the corner before freezing completely.

There, right in front of her, is her mother. Rei's eyes go wide and she can only think of one thing to do, one way to counteract the sudden fear and sadness that has just attacked her heart: she starts screaming, rousing her dead mother's attention, as well as her appetite.

The zombified parent slumps towards the still screaming Rei, only to be shot down by Takashi as he maneuvers behind Rei. The shot rings out, and Takashi doubts that they will have any time at all before the crowds of undead start to make their way towards them. He urges Rei to move, but receives no response; just more crying. Rei then turns to Takashi and buries her face into his shirt, drowning out her wails of agony and sadness.

"Rei, we need to go. I'm sorry, but we don't have time to sit and cry. Come on," Takashi says. Rei eventually pulls away, sniffing.

"Right," is the only response she offers before exiting the house through the front door into the street of newly notified zombies.

"C'mon, it's time to go!" Seth yells at the pair as they make their way towards their bikes. The incoming horde is a large one, but there is a wide path down the street that could easily provide an escape. They group sets off at high speeds, but the mob of the undead are already waiting for them around both corners at the end of the street. They all stop and look for a way out, and Seth is the first one to notice a small opening in the sea of rotting flesh. However, there is only room for one, maybe two people to get through before it closes up.

Knowing what he has to do, he takes out one of the two knives on his hip and pops both of his tires. Then, he starts riding towards the opening, the rims on the pavement attracting the zombies' attentions. He draws his pistol and starts shooting zombies out of his way, making even more noise and drawing the corpses away from the rest of the group.

"Seth, what the hell are you doing!?" Takashi yells at the retreating figure.

"I'm giving you an opening. Just take it and run!" Seth responds, never turning back.

"You can't do that! We're gonna make it out of this together!" Takashi begs.

"Takashi, you're a good leader. I respect your determination. But you can't save them all. Don't worry, though; I don't plan on dying yet!" However, even as he says it, Seth's pistol runs out of ammo. He throws it at a zombie, causing it to stumble backwards and knock over two others. He starts pedaling faster, leaning back to lift the top wheel over any fallen bodies.

Suddenly, Saeko takes off after Seth. She too uses her sidearm before her katana so that she may get to Seth quicker while staying on the bike.

"Saeko, no!" Rei and Takashi both yell. However, Saeko ignores them and continues to dive into the horde. Predictably, she too runs out of ammunition quickly and puts the weapon back in its holster. She jumps from the bike, allowing it to crash into several zombies in front of her, giving her room to draw her blade and start disposing of the reanimated corpses.

"Saeko, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Seth yells as he notices Saeko's attempt at a rescue mission. "I did this for a reason, and it was NOT so that you could kill yourself!"

"I'm not planning on killing myself, just the enemies," Saeko responds, excitement starting to creep into her voice. Seth notices it and freezes, his mind going into overtime. He turns to the side sharply and jumps off of his bike, effectively turning his bike into a bowling ball to make a small clearing for a second or two to think. He uses it to think about the past.

_**FLASHBACK**_

The night was cold, but the blazing cars and buildings created enough heat to make Seth sweat. Then again, that could just be from the running he was doing.

"Seth! Help me!" The cries were getting louder. He was getting closer. _Just a little farther…_

"Rachel!" Seth yells as he spots his friend over the countless heads of the undead.

"Seth!" the short brunette responds, her voice scared and panicky.

"Rachel! Just hold on! I'm going to get you out of here!" Seth yells, trying to keep his friend within his sight. They had only met a week ago, but she was still as much his friend as Da. He slips his knives from their scabbards and takes a fighting stance similar to that of the wolf fighting technique; his knees bent lowly and his arms near his face. He launches into the crowd and starts killing all of them in his path, bodies dropping left and right, a clear path forming throw the wall of the dead.

Eventually, he makes it to the other side and slides his knives back into their homes on his belt. He grabs Rachel's hand and attempts to pull her back through the hole he had created, but her arms is pulled free from his grasp; fearing the worst, he pulls his knives again and turns to Rachel, prepared to strike. However, instead of a zombie pulling her away from him, Seth sees Rachel looking at him in total fear.

"S-stay away from me…" she starts, moving backwards.

"Rachel, c'mon, we have to go!"

"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Rachel screams suddenly, still backing up.

"Rachel?" Seth says confusedly.

"Just stay away from me you… you freak!" Rachel yells at him, not stopping her movement. "You… you just… killed them all… so easily… you did it naturally! Even if they're already dead, how can you just kill them so easily like that!?" she screams again, he voice portraying her fear.

"Rachel, please, I'm sorry you had to see that, but we have to go-"

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Rachel screams one last time before turning around to run away and landing right in one of "their" grasp.

"RACHEL! NO!" Seth yells, but it's too late; a large chunk of her neck has been consumed and her lifeless body is starting to twitch. Seth quickly snaps out of his reverie and turns to run away, looking one last time over his shoulder and vowing to never show that side of himself to anyone ever again, to never give anybody a reason to fear him.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Seth's mind is running at a million miles per hour, the scene playing over and over in his head, his promise to himself to never kill with his knives again ever-present in his mind. However, as he watches Saeko's graceful moves, sees the joy in her eyes, he is reminded of himself, and he smiles slightly. _Maybe she's like me…_

"Rei! Takashi! Go back now!" Seth yells, drawing his knives and resuming his old fighting stance once more.

"No! We can't leave you and Saeko here!" Takashi argues.

"Takashi, please. Just go. We'll make it back, don't worry!" Saeko assures her leader and crush while tearing through the undead.

Takashi is about to continue arguing when he sees that there is no way to reach them at this point and that they're diversion has worked; there is a slightly clear area on the sidewalk where the dead have started to walk towards exactly the same place. "Rei, let's go," he says.

"But Takashi-" Rei protests.

"Don't worry; Saeko can handle herself just fine, and Seth looks like he can too. They're doing this so that we can escape, so let's do what they want us to," Takashi says, flashing a reassuring smile at Rei. The girl hesitates before nodding once and taking off towards the hole with Takashi right behind her. They barely make it, but they are on the other side soon, riding away from the swarm.

"So, Saeko, tell me: what would you do if I killed all of these zombies without the slightest hesitation?" Seth asks the purple haired girl.

"I would join you gladly!" Saeko responds immediately, not even the slightest trace of uncertainty in her voice. Seth smiles; now he can fight.

And so he does. He starts attacking the undead wildly, relentlessly, the smile on his face steadily growing; soon, he starts to giggle and eventually laugh, building up to a full cackle of near insanity, all the while killing more and more walking corpses.

Saeko notices this development and smiles as well, though not as widely; she fears her head may split in half if she tries. She too keeps enjoying her killing spree, the two eventually fighting next to each other, Saeko's graceful strikes contrasting perfectly with Seth's powerful cuts. They carve a path to an empty alleyway where they escape, running while still grinning stupidly. Seth's continuous chuckling incites a small giggle from Saeko as well, the two laughing as the dash around corners, taking turns to slay the undead in their path.

…

"Takashi! Rei! What happened out there!?" Kohta asks as he opens the garage door for his friends. He closes it behind them and jogs over to the two. "Where are Seth and Saeko?"

"They stayed… behind…" Takashi pants between breaths after riding as fast as he could for several minutes.

"What do you mean they stayed behind?" Da's voice sounds from behind them. They turn around and see her looking down with her fists clenched. "You mean you left them?" she asks quietly, but her anger is still clearly projected.

"They did it… so we could escape…" Rei manages to huff out.

"And obviously it worked! But where are they now!?" Da snaps, staring up at them, her contempt in her eyes.

"I… I don't know…" Rei chokes out in a small voice.

"EXACTLY! THEY COULD BE DEAD! HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE THEM!?" Da screams at them, barely restraining herself from attacking the pair.

"Da, please, calm down. We need to-" Takashi pleads.

"NO! YOU ARE NOT MY LEADER! SETH MAY HAVE CHOSEN TO HELP YOU, BUT LOOK WHERE THAT GOT HIM!" Da interrupts the black haired boy. "HE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO TRY BEING NICE, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! BUT I'M NOT DEALING WITH THIS BULLSHIT! YOU STAY HERE AND LET THEM DIE IF YOU WANT, BUT I'M GOING AFTER THEM!"

_*SLAP*_

"How dare you?" Rei grinds out. "How dare you assume that we're just 'letting them die'? They had already separated themselves from us and given us a way out. There was no way we could have made it to them before we ran out of ammo and I am the only one close to being able to fight like Saeko, so we would just get in the way."

"So you're blaming your cowardice on your lack of skill!?" Da yells.

"No! I'm saying that they stand a better chance without us!" Rei yells back.

Da is about to yell back but decides that it's no use, and that every moment she wastes arguing is a moment that could be spent searching for her friend. She stomps over to the bikes, throws her rifle over her shoulder and is about to go out through the smaller door when she sees that the streets are littered with the undead, all of them wandering aimlessly. Realizing that there is no way through, she closes the door, returns her bike and stomps away, disappearing into the house and slamming the door shut behind her.

…

"I guess you weren't lying when you said you were good," Seth comments as he and Saeko walk down the mostly empty street.

"I tend not to lie. You are very skilled as well," Saeko compliments.

"Thanks. I'm glad you think so."

"I noticed that you didn't start fighting until I already had, and even then you waited until Takashi and Rei weren't watching. May I ask why?" Saeko inquires.

"It's a long story," is Seth's short reply.

Saeko is reminded of her own reluctance to reveal her past to Takashi and decides to leave it at that. If he wants to talk, he'll talk. If not, then she can't make him.

"What about you? Do the others know how much you like to kill?" Seth asks.

"Yes, and they accept it as who I am," Saeko replies.

"Hmm. You've got good friends."

"Yes, I do. And so do you."

"What do you mean?"

"You just risked your life for two people you barely know. I'm sure they consider you a friend. At least, I do," Saeko iterates.

A small smile creeps onto Seth's face. "Thanks," he mutters.

"Not at all. If you want to talk, I'll listen," Saeko informs him.

"Maybe later. Right now, let's just focus on getting back. I really don't want to be stuck out here all night," Seth says.

…

Nobody made dinner that night. When asked where the cooking supplies were, Da simply threw a couple large bags of chips at Shizuka and instructed her quite firmly to leave her the hell alone. This command was followed thoroughly by everybody, as no one wanted to start a fight with her. There was no game, everybody, Da not included, just sat around in the kitchen and waited. Eventually, they went to bed, Takashi remaining to try and talk to Da. He finds her in the garage, watching the door to the outside world intently.

"What do you want, Leader Boy?" the red-head snaps bitterly.

"I was just coming to wait with you. My friend's out there too, you know," Takashi defends.

"Fine," Da replies shortly. However, she never looks away from the door.

"Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. We left them, and you're mad. I understand that, I just don't think that being angry at each other is the best thing right now," Takashi attempts to speak with Da.

"Then who should I be mad at?" Da asks expectantly.

"I don't know, I just… I just think that if they actually are in trouble then the worst thing we could be doing is fighting each other," Takashi explains.

Da sighs before turning to Takashi with a weary expression on her face. "I know, I know, I just… If Seth dies, then I'll be the only one left from our old group. I don't know how I'd be able to handle that," she says, putting her hands in her hair.

"It's okay, I understand. I know what it's like to be left behind," Takashi says.

"You know what? You're alright, Leader Boy," Da says, punching Takashi in the arm.

"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself," he responds. Then he remembers something. "Da?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering… why were you named Dakota? Isn't that usually a boy's name?"

Da chuckles. "I don't know. Guess daddy wanted a boy."

"DA! OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Seth's voice comes from outside. Da is up instantly and runs to obey the order. Seth and Saeko dash in, a huge crowd of zombies on their tail. Da slams the door shut and runs to Seth, who is hunched over and gasping for breath.

"Seth, what happened out there!? Are you alright!?" Da asks frantically.

"Yeah… I'm fine… zombies… too many… you know… what to do…" Seth manages to spit out, pointing to a spot on the ground.

"Right," Da says, walking over to the spot and pressing down on it. A panel pops up and she removes it, revealing a large cache of weapons, ranging from guns to swords and most things between. Da picks up what looks like a grenade and walks over to the door, pulls the pin, throws it, shuts the door and yells at everyone to cover their ears.

_*BANG*_

A deafening noise is heard, a loud ringing remaining in everyone's ears for a couple of seconds. Takashi and Saeko stumble, unable to keep balance whereas Da and Seth had wisely crouched before the grenade's detonation.

"What was that?" Takashi eventually asks after regaining his hearing.

"Stun grenade. Otherwise known as a flashbang. It temporarily blinds and deafens enemies, and the noise also disrupts the fluid in the ears, causing loss of balance. And when used on zombies, well…" Seth says, opening the door. Takashi and Saeko look outside to see what had happened and were shocked to find the all of the zombies were standing stock still, no movement coming from them at all.

"Why are they just standing there?" Takashi asks quietly.

"The noise overloaded their only sense: hearing. Since they couldn't tell where anything is they just stopped moving. At least, that's my theory," Seth explains, closing the door and locking it once more.

"That's genius," Takashi remarks.

"Thanks, but it wasn't entirely my idea. I just wondered what would happen if a zombie were to lose its hearing. Da's the one who scrounged up the grenade," Seth responds, nodding towards the red-head.

"It wasn't that much, really. He would've figured it out eventually," Da says, shrugging.

"It was still a good idea," Saeko compliments.

"Thanks," Da says, blushing slightly.

"Anyway, what'd you guys eat while we were gone?" Seth inquires while opening the door to the house.

"Da gave us some chips, but other than that we haven't really had anything," Takashi says.

Seth stops and raises an eyebrow. "Da?"

"Yeah?" Da replies, slowly inching down the hall.

"Where did you get those chips?"

"Well, you see, we couldn't figure out where everything was in the kitchen, so I just sort of…"

"Where did you get those chips?" Seth repeats.

Da makes a run for it. Dashing down the hallway, she jumps into the girl's room and slams the door shut, locking it behind her.

"DA! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT GOING THROUGH MY THINGS!? THOSE WERE MINE! I FOUND THEM FAIR AND SQUARE!" Seth yells, chasing after his friend. He gives up at the door, however, and walks back into the kitchen, mumbling curses under his breath.

"Were there any left over?" Seth asks Takashi, who gives him a bag that says "RANCH DIPPED HOT WINGS". It was open, but there didn't seem to be any missing.

"Here, these were too spicy. Alice tried one and ran to the sink to run her mouth under the faucet," he explains.

"Well, I guess I'm glad I have unusual tastes," Seth says, munching on the chips as though they were plain.

"Yeah, guess so. Well, I'm going to bed, night," Takashi says, walking back to the boy's bunks.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a bit. What about you, Saeko?" Seth asks.

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened," Saeko says, knowing that Seth will understand what she is talking about. Once he is sure Takashi has shut the door behind him, Seth turns to Saeko and agrees.

"Alright, but on one condition: don't tell anybody about what I'm about to say to you, and don't give Da any reason to think you know about it, okay?" Seth demands.

"Of course," Saeko responds.

"Okay then. I guess I should start at the beginning…


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I got this one out a bit quicker! Anywhore, I apologize for that cliff-hangar, but the opportunity was just too good. Well, here it is, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool of the Dead.**

"Da, quick! Get the hell outta there!"

"Seth, just keep going! I'll catch up!"

"No way in hell!" Seth replies over the gunfire both he and his friend are emitting. He pumps his KSG-12 once more and fires at a particularly dense group of zombies, all of them dropping like sacks of potatoes.

"Seth, what the hell are you doing!?" Da yells, not bothering to look up from the iron sights of her M16.

"Saving your ass, that's what!" Seth shouts as he slowly makes his way through the overwhelming numbers, every so often ramming the butt of his weapon into the skulls of the attacking undead.

"I told you to keep going!" Da reprimands, mowing down the horde all around her. She feels a hand on her shoulder and looks up to see the taller blonde look down at her. He nods towards a warehouse that seems mostly uninhabited and the two set of for it.

Once inside, the two block the entrance with some steel piping and some sheet metal, making a make-shift barrier between themselves and "them". They start searching for another way out, only to find that there isn't one. However, they do find something.

Well, some_one_, actually.

"Who're you?" Da asks as opens the door to a small maintenance closet, revealing a girl with long, tangled brown hair, and bright, blue eyes. She stares up at Da, not saying a word, her lips moving silently in fear.

"Hey, Seth, there's somebody here!" Da calls across the warehouse, causing the brunette to squeak and pull the closet door shut again. However, it is blocked by Da's foot, the redhead stepping in and forcing the door open again. "Hey, there's no need to be afraid. We're not going to hurt you."

"R-really?" the girl asks, looking nervous as Seth comes into view.

"Yes," Seth says shortly. "Who are you?"

"R-Rachel," the girl answers, standing up slowly. She steps out of the closet and presses against the wall, trying to shy away from the large man's gaze.

"Seth, you're staring," Da reprimands as she elbows him in the gut, knocking some of his breath loose.

"Da, what the hell was that for?" Seth complains, not bothering stand up from his newly adopted doubled over position.

"For making the poor girl nervous!"

"Well, sorry, I didn't mean to!"

"Umm… excuse me…"

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to!"

"No, but you're the one who hit me!"

"Hello?"

"And!? What's your point!?"

"My point is that-"

"EXCUSE ME!" Rachel yells at the two, gathering their attention and rendering them speechless. Suddenly, the girl seems to get nervous again as she away once more. "Umm… sorry for interrupting… but you shouldn't be fighting here…" she mutters.

"She has a point. We'll finish this later," Da says, postponing the argument.

"Sure, but how are we going to get out of here?" Seth spits.

"Well, let's check inside here…" Da says, diving into the maintenance closet. She comes back out with a disappointed frown across her face. "Nothing, just some cleaning supplies and a rusty old broom handle," she concludes.

Seth, however, seems to get an idea. "Let me see that broom…"

"What are you planning?" Da asks as she hands the rusty instrument to Seth.

"Hmm… definitely iron… Hold on, I'll be right back…" Seth says, handing the broom back to Da and heading off to another part of the warehouse. He returns a while later holding an Etch-N-Sketch, a few buckets of Play-Doh and some sparklers. "Turns out this place stored children's toys," he says.

"Okay, great, what does that have to do with how we're going to get out of here?" Da asks, a bit annoyed at Seth's usual display of greater intelligence.

"Oh, you'll see… for now, just hand me the broom," the blonde instructs as he takes the broom. He then finds a small container, probably used as an ashtray of one point, wipes it out and starts to shave the rust off of the broom handle and into the small dish with his knife. Once done with this, he breaks the Etch-N-Sketch and taps the powder out of it and into the mixture. He stirs it up, presses it into the Play-Doh and walks over to the warehouse wall, examining the steel and determining how much more of his mixture he would need to make.

After making as much of the substance as he deems necessary, Da gets fed up with the silence. "Just what the hell are you doing, anyway!?" she interrogates.

"Oh, nothing, just making some thermite," Seth says nonchalantly, to which Da gapes.

"You're making WHAT!?"

"Thermite. You know, 8 grams of iron oxide, 3 grams of aluminum. Very hot substance. Very difficult to light, however. That's what these are for," Seth explains off-handedly, waving the sparklers around. "Magnesium burns with enough heat to light thermite."

"I know what thermite is, I was just wondering where the hell you had the idea to make it," Da says, allowing a small smile at Seth's genius to cross her face.

"Thanks," Seth says, understanding the compliment. He moves to one of the walls, puts his ear up to it to check for any shuffling or groaning from the other side and creates an outline on the steel. He sticks a sparkler in it and pulls a lighter from his pocket. "You guys might want to stand back," Seth warns, preparing himself to do the same. He lights the sparkler and runs behind a wall that the other two are located at. "Don't look at it!" he yells at Rachel, who had been trying to get a better look.

After a while, Seth pops his head around the edge. He watches as the makeshift thermite starts to burn out, leaving a large piece of the wall to fall to the floor. "Let's make a run for it," he says, grabbing his shotgun and jumping through the hole.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"That's how we met Rachel," Seth says. "I was a bit less… compassionate back then. I just did what needed doing and only really spoke to Da unless I needed to talk to somebody else."

"What happened?" Saeko asks, entranced by the man's story. However, she knows how it ends, for the most part; there is no Rachel with them.

"Well, you see…"

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Da, Rachel, get your asses moving!" Seth yells as the two girls stand in the middle of the street, frozen. They are looking at what seems to be a battlefield; cars are burning, bodies piled everywhere, both rotten and fresh. This means that some of the men didn't even turn; they just got killed. All of the windows on the street are shattered, bullet holes pepper the walls and store fronts on both sides, revealing that there was gunfire from two groups, and that they were firing at each other.

However, they don't have long to ogle as they are pulled by the collars by their large companion, who promptly reminds them that "In case you've forgotten, there's a crowd of undead flesh-addicts that are in some SERIOUS withdrawal!"

The group takes off down the body-littered street, jumping between the gaps of non-occupied pavement as they make their way away from the horde of ghouls. They turn at the corner, only to find more blood-shed and something else that makes all three of them freeze, Seth included. However, the tall blonde is first to regain his senses.

"IS THAT A FRIGGIN' TANK!?" he yells in disbelief, dragging his friends along to the giant machine. He pops the hatch open and checks for any signs of life (or unlife). He regretfully pulls the still very dead body out of the tank and lays it down carefully on the ground, making sure the soldier's eyes are closed. He does this with another soldier that is inside the vehicle. Apologizing one last time, he turns to the tank and climbs inside. Most of the controls are covered in blood, as is the rest of the cabin, and the stench of slightly decaying flesh hangs in it, nearly making Seth hurl. He goes to start the tank and finds out that there is no fuel, curses, climbs out and says that the group needs to find some sort of gas.

"It's an M1A1 Abrams, so regular gas will do," he says as they walk quietly down the street, the zombies still after them.

"Over there," Rachel says, pointing to a gas station.

"Great, but how will we carry it?" Da asks.

"I'll go in and look for some gas cans, you two stay here and see if you can get the gas to start," Seth says before walking through the doors of the small convenience store. He spots some cans instantly and takes them back out to the girls, rushing as quietly as possible due to the still surging waves of the undead. They know the general direction in which to travel, but if they get an exact location, they'll be on them before they can fill a single can.

"We can pay by card," Rachel says, pulling out her wallet.

"You still carry one of those around?" Da asks incredulously.

"What? I like to keep a little sense of normality," Rachel defends.

"Yeah, yeah, just put the card in. Quickly, please!" Seth interjects, pulling the nozzle off the hook and positioning it to fill the can. The gas starts to fill its container, the group impatiently waiting for one of the three cans to be full.

"C'mon, C'mon," Da mutters as she sees a couple of zombies stumble onto the parking lot.

"Okay, we're good," Seth says after the last can fills, putting the nozzle back on the hook and screwing the cap on. He grabs two of the cans and starts moving away from the zombies and back to the gas station. "C'mon, there's no way we can get back to the tank yet. We'll just wait until all of them are gone."

"Rachel, I'll grab the other can, you go and find the circuit breakers. Turn off the power to the door after we get inside. Don't want one of those uglies walking in on us," Da instructs. Each of them perform their tasks and meet up at the cash register. The inside of the store looks almost as bad as the world outside; some of the aisles are toppled over, a couple of bodies are lying about.

"What the hell happened here?" Da wonders aloud.

"I don't know, but I think I'm going to be sick," Rachel comments.

"Either way, let's get out of sight. Don't want whoever did this to come back and do it to us," Seth says.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asks.

"Look at some of the bodies. They aren't zombies that somebody happened to stroll by and shoot. These were men, and other men killed them," Seth explains. This information causes Rachel to actually get sick. She runs to find the bathroom and emits sounds that make the others' stomachs turn as well. However, they manage to keep their lunch, whenever the last one was.

"While we're here, we may as well get supplies," Seth says, picking up a back of some sort of spicy chips and popping them open.

"How the hell can you eat right now?" Da asks, not fully surprised by Seth's mannerisms anymore.

"Just don't think about it," Seth replies, sitting against a clean part of the wall and closing his eyes. He leans his head back and eats more chips, not bothering to explain himself again when Rachel rejoins them and asks a very similar question to Da's. He thinks about what life used to be like, what the world was like before everything went to hell. A smile threatens to break across his face, but he stops it; he needs to remain the cold one. It lets the Da and Rachel be as hot-headed or kind as they want, respectively. _I need to stay strong, for them. _

Suddenly, the blonde feels a sharp pain in the side of his head and his eyes snap open. He must have fallen asleep; the zombies are gone and a new group of people have inhabited the small shop. Da and Rachel are being held at gun point, and Seth soon joins them. There are five guys in total, each one with weapons that seem to be taken off of dead police officers or military soldiers. The man who seems to be their leader is wearing a bandana around his mouth, revealing only his bloodshot eyes and shaggy brown hair.

"Listen, I'm gonna make this real simple: you give us the gas and the guns, we let you live. If not, we'll kill you after having our way with your girls there," the man says, his goons sneering and cheering.

"YOU WON'T LAY A HAND ON THEM!" Seth yells, reaching for his knives before being prodded in the back with an assault rifle.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you," the guy behind him warns. Seth curses again and calms himself, letting his shoulders slump in defeat.

"You want our stuff? Fine. Take it. Take it and leave," he says shortly.

"Oh, don't worry, we will," the leader says. Just as he is leaving he makes on final order: "Take the brunette."

Two thugs start dragging Rachel away while the others stay behind and point their rifles at Seth and Da. "No!" Rachel cries as she is being taken, surely to have horrible things done to her.

"YOU BASTARDS! YOU LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!" Da and Seth both yell in some similar manner. They both launch themselves at the men, grabbing hold of the barrels of the guns, stepping into their respective enemy's body and allowing the human meat-shields to be pump full of led. However, this is not an action movie, so the guns run out of ammo shortly and the duo take down the remaining goons quickly and easily. They grab their weapons and run after Rachel, seeing her being loaded into a car and taken away. They don't shoot at the car for fear of hitting Rachel, but they do run after them. And after turning one corner, they are both horrified and relieved to see that the car had been driven into the newly forming zombie horde, most likely brought about by the recent gunfire.

The pair sees the larger group shoot out the windows of their car, clearing paths outwards so that they can exit the vehicle. Once they do, one man drags Rachel by the hair while the other two continue making a way for them.

Seth and Da's view is blocked by the overwhelming numbers of the undead, their friend lost from sight, and they start shooting their way through. They hear men's screams and assume that at least two of the enemies have fallen.

"Seth! Help me!" The cries are getting louder. He was getting closer. _Just a little farther…_

"Da, clear a path to get us out of here, I'll get Rachel!" Seth yells.

"No! I won't leave you!" Da protests.

"Then don't! Make sure we can all leave in one piece!"

After a moment's hesitation, Da surrenders. "Fine!" she shouts as she starts mowing down the zombies methodically to the side of the street and towards the many buildings.

"Rachel!" Seth yells as he spots his friend over the countless heads of the undead.

"Seth!" the short brunette responds, her voice scared and panicky.

"Rachel! Just hold on! I'm going to get you out of there!" Seth yells, trying to keep his friend in sight. His shotgun runs out of ammo, however, and he is forced to draw his knives. He launches into the crowd and starts killing all of them in his path, bodies dropping left and right, a clear path forming throw the wall of the dead.

Eventually, he makes it to the other side and slides his knives back into their homes on his belt. He grabs Rachel's hand and attempts to pull her back through the hole he had created, but her arms is pulled free from his grasp; fearing the worst, he pulls his knives again and turns to Rachel, prepared to strike. However, instead of a zombie pulling her away from him, Seth sees Rachel looking at him in total fear.

"S-stay away from me…" she starts, moving backwards.

"Rachel, c'mon, we have to go!"

"JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Rachel screams suddenly, still backing up.

"Rachel?" Seth says confusedly.

"Just stay away from me you… you freak!" Rachel yells at him, not stopping her movement. "You… you just… killed them all… so easily… you did it naturally! Even if they're already dead, how can you just kill them so easily like that!?" she screams again, he voice portraying her fear.

"Rachel, please, I'm sorry you had to see that, but we have to go-"

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Rachel screams one last time before turning around to run away and landing right in one of "their" grasp.

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Then she… she…" Seth chokes on the words, tears starting to build up in his eyes. He can still remember her scream perfectly, her fear, her death. He just wants it all to go away.

"It's alright," Saeko says softly, now sitting beside Seth, her hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anymore."

"Thanks," Seth replies, trying to calm himself. He doesn't want to cry, doesn't want to show his weakness.

"It's okay, you can cry," Saeko says as Seth starts shuddering. Then, as if reading his mind, she adds, "If you show me your weakness, I'll show you mine."

That sets Seth off. He starts crying, softly at first and quickly building in intensity. He keeps his cries low, however, as not to wake up anybody else. After a few moments, he manages to stop the downpour of tears and he raises his head to look at Saeko.

"Thanks. I mean it; this means a lot to me. Now, as promised," Seth's slight smile turns devilish, "It's your turn."

"Very well," Saeko starts before going into her own past. After she is done, she looks at Seth, not knowing what to expect. Once upon a time, she would've expected fear or hatred, but from what she's seen and heard, she isn't sure that Seth is all that different from herself. However, she is pleasantly surprised to see Seth smiling in understanding, his eyes just as wide with excitement as hers had just been.

"So you really are like me," he says, his voice just as filled with joy as his expression.

"Yes, it seems so," Saeko replies, her refined words holding no meaning of formality due to her excited tones.

"This is unbelievable! I mean, I've met others who like to just kill zombies, or have turned into murderers because of them, but you're the only other person I know besides myself that's a natural born killer!" Seth exclaims quietly, hugging Saeko. However, he soon releases the girl, embarrassment etched into his features. "Sorry," he mutters as he looks at his lap.

"No, it's fine," Saeko assures him. This seems to restore some of his excitement.

"You know what this means, right?" he asks her.

"What?" Saeko responds curiously.

"We're going to have to spar soon!" Seth says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Saeko smiles. "Sure, but for now, we should probably go to bed," she says, indicating a nearby clock.

"Right, well, night," Seth says as he moves towards the guy's bunks.

"Good night."


End file.
